In fact, corticosteroids are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, allergies and many other conditions or are also used to prevent organ rejection in transplant recipients by helping to suppress the immune system…
However, many patients arbitrarily use corticosteroids that are easily purchased at pharmacies, or pass on to each other herbal medicine in powder form without a doctor's prescription.
When patients use high doses of corticosteroids for a long time, it will cause adrenal insufficiency (adrenal dysfunction).
Symptoms suggestive of adrenal insufficiency are often atypical such as anorexia, nausea and weight loss, changes in body shape, and facial heaviness. Some severe cases can cause acute adrenal insufficiency with hypotension, which can lead to death if not treated with corticosteroids promptly.
To minimize the side effects of corticosteroids, it is necessary to follow some principles such as only using corticosteroids as prescribed by a doctor, closely monitoring to prevent and detect early signs of side effects, using just enough to control the disease, and not arbitrarily increasing the dose without a doctor's permission...
Dr. Nguyen Quang Bay - Head of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Bach Mai Hospital - shared that the group of corticosteroids is a group of anti-inflammatory, strong pain relievers, anti-allergy, immunosuppressants; applied in the treatment of many different specialties: Joints, allergies, kidneys, respiratory...
Besides the benefits it brings, it can also cause many adverse side effects: diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, Cushingoid changes, adrenal insufficiency if abused.
In Vietnam today, patients can easily buy this group of drugs even without a doctor's prescription and with poor patient compliance with treatment, the abuse of this group of drugs is even more worrying.
Dr. Nguyen Quang Bay said that the most dangerous side effect of corticoid abuse is drug-induced adrenal insufficiency, with symptoms of frequent fatigue, low blood pressure, possible hypotension, and there have been cases of death.
The drug is abused by word of mouth to treat diseases such as sore throat, allergic rhinitis, dermatitis, back pain, gout, osteoarthritis, pneumonia, asthma... in the form of topical, inhaled, oral and injected... The use of corticosteroids is like a double-edged sword.
Source: https://laodong.vn/suc-khoe/lam-dung-corticoid-coi-chung-benh-nang-them-1381412.ldo
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